Muhammad Aliyu
The Core Question

How does innovation move?

My research challenges the static view of entrepreneurial ecosystems. Instead of just measuring stocks (count of startups, patents), I measure flows: how founders migrate, how knowledge spills over borders, and how weak ties create strong regions.

๐Ÿ”๏ธ Ecosystem Connectivity

Measuring how knowledge flows between regions through co-invention networks. Which ecosystems are connected, which are isolated, and what does connectivity mean for startup formation?

๐Ÿงญ Founder Mobility

Tracking how entrepreneurs move across borders and what happens when they do. How does founder mobility create knowledge spillovers and shape regional innovation?

๐Ÿ’ฐ Cross-Border Capital

Examining how venture capital investment flows across regions and how cross-border funding patterns influence the growth trajectories of innovative startups.

Selected Publications

2025

GenAI Inside: A Practical Methodology for Embedding AI Across Enterprise Workflows

Muhammad Aliyu, Joรฃo Barros

IEEE International Conference on Artificial Intelligence ร— Business (AIxB), Laguna Hills, CA, USA, 2025

A six-step framework for embedding generative AI into enterprise workflows, validated across 4 institutional use cases with efficiency gains of 70โ€“99%.

Industry TL;DR: Provides a plug-and-play AI adoption strategy for organizations struggling to move beyond basic ChatGPT usage, delivering measurable ROI in weeks.
2025

Generative AI Methodology for Uncovering Entrepreneurial Journeys in Africa

R.N. Esibe, M. Aliyu, J. Thornburg, J. Barros, E. Stam

SSRN Preprint ยท Under Review

Demonstrated that LLMs can reconstruct 85% of founder history details compared to manual coding, enabling large-scale analysis of African entrepreneurship with zero survey cost.

TL;DR: Investors and researchers can map out entire startup ecosystem histories using publicly available data and AI, bypassing expensive surveys.
2025

Empowering Student Entrepreneurs: An International Collaborative Network

M. Aliyu, S. Malum, M. Abdulkarim

Case Studies in International Education, 6(1), 2025

Analyzed the network effects of a multi-university student incubation program.

Policy TL;DR: Shows how universities can build inter-campus networks to boost student startup success, rather than acting as isolated silos.
2025

"Everything You Do Reflects On Us": Student Leaders Serving as Informal International Diplomats

M. Aliyu, R. Mudasiru, T. Abdulraheem

Case Studies in International Education, 6(2), 2025

Explores how international student leaders navigate dual roles as community representatives and informal diplomats across cultural boundaries.
2025

Building Global Knowledge Bridges: A Student-Led Library Initiative in Nigeria

M. Aliyu, T. T. Adegbayi, A. G. Olajide, C. Ike, S. A. Adesanwo

Case Studies in International Education, 6(2), 2025

Documents how a student-led initiative created accessible knowledge resources for Nigerian learners through cross-institutional collaboration.
2024

Graduate Engineering Students Navigate Cultural Differences

Y. Underdue Murph, M. Sullelman, M. Aliyu

Case Studies in International Education, 5(1), 2024

Case study examining how graduate engineering students adapt to cross-cultural academic environments and develop intercultural competency.
2021

Learning Management System โ€“ Review on Collaborative Tools

M. Aliyu, S. Issah, A. Abdulrrahman, Z.O. Bakare, M.A. Aibinu

West African Journal of Open and Flexible Learning

2021

Orientation and its Significance on Skill Development: A Case Study of AcadoPreneurship Industry Immersion Programme for Students

A. M. Aibinu, H. U. Yusuf, D. E. Olatunji, M. Aliyu, et al.

5th International Conference on Future Networks & Distributed Systems (ICFNDS), 293โ€“298, 2021

Interested in collaborating?

I'm open to research partnerships, co-authorship, and conversations about innovation ecosystems, generative AI, and entrepreneurship.